Vacation
by defiaureve
Summary: Mulder and Scully are sent on a manditory vacation but even away from work they find themselves joined at the hip.
1. Default Chapter

_**Vacation**_

By SisShippy

Disclaimer: Only the story belongs to me. The characters Mulder and Scully are the creation of the talented Chris Carter and his beautiful mind. X-Files belongs to the kind folks at 1013 Productions and Fox Broadcasting. No copyright infringement is intended and I refuse any profit.

**En Route to Georgetown**

**6:12 pm**

"Scully." She answered, trying not to turn too much attention to the cellular phone she was answering.

"No, you are supposed to answer 'Mulder'." Came the confusing reply.

"Huh?"

"You've got my cell phone, Scully."

"Are you sure?"

"Yep, unless you gave your mother my number."

"No, I didn't. Sorry."

"Oh, no, it's okay. We had a lovely chat."

"I can only imagine," she half groaned.

"Your mother is a wonderful person. She wanted to know if we are ever going to just give in and get married."

"She didn't!"

"Oh, but she did."

"And you said . . .?" Scully asked, afraid to hear Mulder's reply.

"I said 'actually, Mrs. Scully, we have a weeks vacation starting tomorrow and I've been trying to convince your daughter to run off to Vegas with me for a quickie wedding.' To which your mother replied, 'I think you should both just go for it.'"

"Fox Mulder! If you're lying to me . . ."

"If you are going to threaten to kick my ass, I most certainly am." He flirted.

She was glad he couldn't see her blushing, even if it was only slightly. "Well I'm not going to now." She teased back then released a frustrated sigh after a pause. "Where are you now and we can change phones?"

"I'm already at my apartment. I can meet you in Washington if . . ."

"No, it's okay. I'm nearly home right now so give me enough time to pack a bag and I'll be there."

"I'll see you in a bit then."

**Alexandria**

**9:14 pm**

"Hey Scully, come on in," Mulder said around his toothbrush.

She took one giant step in, "did I come at a bad time?"

"No," he mumbled and held up a single finger, then using it to point toward the bathroom. Scully nodded and plopped down on the sofa to wait for him.

A few moments later, he returned to the living room and sat down dangerously close to his partner. "So, how about it?"

"How about what?"

"You, me, Vegas. Take in a couple of lounge acts, hit a casino or two, stop by a wedding chapel for one of those quick fifty dollar weddings, and spend the rest of our vacation having the honeymoon of a lifetime."

"As tempting as all of that sounds, I don't think so."

"But your mother said . . ."

Scully put a finger to Mulder's lips to silence him. "I don't always do what my mother suggests."

"Well, you can't blame a guy for trying."

Scully gave him a half smile, "besides, I have a feeling you were making up that phone conversation."

"Just the part where I told her we were flying off to Vegas for the week."

"Oh God," she groaned. "Mulder, I don't know where she gets the idea that we should be getting married."

"Yeah, I bet you don't," he teased. "I thought it was a perfectly logical question myself. But I did tell her she would have to take that up with you." Mulder couldn't help but grin when he saw that he had actually made Scully blush.

"Well, I have the perfect answer for her."

"You do?"

"Yes. I can honestly tell her that the proposals I keep getting no woman in her right mind would accept."

Mulder harrumphed and straightened on the couch so he wasn't sitting so close to Scully. He pretended to pout and asked as seriously as he could, "what's wrong with the way I propose?"

"You can't be serious! Cheap, quickie weddings in Vegas, a stop off at the justice of the peace on our lunch hour, and my favorite of them all was the time you suggested we find a drive-thru wedding chapel!"

"I happen to think those are all fine ways to get married. The honeymoon is the really important thing."

"Of course you do." Scully agreed jokingly.

"In all honesty though, Scully, _if _I ever do propose, it will be as romantic as I know how to be and the type of proposal you deserve."

"That was very sweet, Mulder." Scully caressed his cheek with the back of her hand, ran her fingers through his hair and gently kissed his lips.

"For being such a sweet guy, can we go practice for the honeymoon?"

"And sweet just went flying out the window."

"I know, I know. You don't want to rush into things and I didn't mean to sound as though I'm pressing you." He leaned over and kissed her forehead.

"But I can't blame a guy for trying," she finished.

"So, where did you decide to go on your vacation?" He asked, hoping there were no real plans and she would decide to vacation with him instead.

"I thought I would drive to Mom's for a couple of days. With the way things have been going lately at work, I haven't gotten to see her much. Then, I'll probably come back and do some things at home that I've needed to catch up on. What about you, where are you going?"

"To mom and dad's 'summer home'. My inheritance. I haven't been since mom died and thought I should pop in there, maybe clean things up a little, go through some old family stuff. You are welcome to come with me or drop in after you see your mom."

"Maybe I'll just do that. Drop in after I see mom I mean."

"I guess it's a good thing Skinner made us take a vacation."

"Yeah, it is. You know what they say about all work and no play."

"Work is play, Scully."

"Oh brother. If you think that, it's too late for you."

"I just mean that work is like play for me. I enjoy my job, but that could be because I'm working with the F.B.I's most beautiful special agent."

Scully snuggled up to Mulder and wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing her forehead to his. "What if we went on vacation together? We can drive up to that little summerhouse of yours on route eight in Chepachet, Rhode Island, and then we'll stop by and see Mom on the way home. If we play our cards right, we might even get a couple of days to settle in before going back to work."

"Sounds nice," Mulder responded, resisting the urge to kiss her lips that were hovering just above his own.

"Sounds really nice," she corrected just before she ended their suffering and finally kissing him.

**Chepachet, RI**

**Following Day **

"This place is probably really dirty." Mulder said as he fumbled with his keys, trying to find the one to the front door of the house.

"Any worse than your apartment?"

"Afraid so, unless someone has snuck in and cleaned while I've been away."

"Well, we'll worry about that when we get in there. Are you sure you want to go through these things now?" Scully was concerned for his well being and knew that going through the belongings of family members long gone would drag up heartache and a mixture of memories that he may not handle so well.

"Yeah. It's been a long time coming actually, but this is really the first chance I've had to get up here." He pushed open the door and gathered their bags from the porch to take inside. "Wait right here," Mulder requested with a grin.

Scully arched an eyebrow and gave him a sly grin of her own. She wasn't sure what he was up to, but she trusted Mulder and could hardly wait for him to reveal his plan. After he had been gone for several minutes, Scully began to worry and considered going inside despite his request. "Mulder?"

"Close your eyes, Scully," he called in reply.

She complied with his request and couldn't help but giggle softly when she felt his arms go around her and scoop her off the ground. Scully opened her eyes and wrapped her arms around his neck. "What are you doing?"

"Carrying you inside."

"I see that. I guess what I really want to know is why."

"Because I want to? Because I can? Because you deserve a romantic gesture now and then?"

They stepped into the living room and Mulder put Scully back down on the ground in front of him. He wrapped his arms around her and held her close as she looked around the surprisingly clean house. "Mulder, its beautiful."

"And clean," he pointed out.

"I noticed. How did you do all of this?"

"When Skinner told us about the mandatory vacation, I called and had a cleaning service come in and straighten the place up. Nobody wants to come in to a dusty mess, and I didn't want to spend my time off cleaning."

"Can't blame you for that. You might want to send the cleaners to your apartment while you're away."

"Oh, you think so?"

"Yeah, I do," Scully said matter-of-factly and through a smile.

"I think that's just harsh; harsh and true." He grabbed Scully's hand, "come on, I'll show you the rest of the house."

**Later that evening**

The couple got out of the car and walked hand in hand from the driveway to the front door. Mulder let go of Scully's hand and purposely reached around her to unlock the front door. He took his time slipping the key into the hole and placed a few quick kisses in the crook of Scully's neck. She slowly turned to face him, ran her fingers through his hair, and stretched up to kiss him. Her intentions had been for a series of quick kisses but each kiss grew in both length and desire. "Mulder," she breathed as they ended the last kiss in the series.

"I know," was all he could reply with as he unlocked the door and ushered her inside backwards. He kicked the door shut with his foot and reached back to quickly lock it. Scully pushed his jacket off his shoulders and down his arms, letting it fall to the floor behind him. She immediately went to work undoing the buttons of his shirt and started to pull him toward one of the bedrooms. "Scully?"

"Shh," she requested as he bent down to scoop her small frame into his arms.

"H-h-hold it r-r-right th-th-there p-p-please!" Demanded a nervous and unfamiliar voice from the general vicinity of the kitchen. "P-put the pretty l-l-lady down or, or, or I'll sh-sh-shoot."

To Be Continued . . .


	2. JJJamesPorky Pig Flanagan

"You have got to be kidding me!" Mulder and Scully chorused.

"Put me down, Mulder," Scully requested, hoping to save them from being shot.

"S-s-smart w-w-wife you've got there." A small man stepped out of the shadows and tossed a pair of handcuffs to Mulder. "Cuff yourselves together, please."

"Who are you?" Mulder asked as he complied with the man's request.

"N-n-nobody important."

Scully noticed the man was shaking and thought perhaps there was a medical condition behind his trembling and stuttering. "Sir, is there something wrong?"

"N-no ma'am. I don't u-u-usually st-st-stutter, I'm just a l-l-little n-n-nervous. I've never r-r-robbed anybody before."

"Oh good grief!" Mulder exclaimed throwing their hands up in the air as he rolled his eyes.

"Sir, I think you should know that we are federal agents and if you harm us in any way, a federal warrant will be issued for your arrest." Scully explained.

"Oh geez! Oh man! Oh no! This isn't going well at all. I didn't even plan to get caught. I was supposed to be gone by now and you two come home early. First I had trouble with the lock on the back door, then I came in and tripped over the luggage you left in the floor which knocked me unconscious. By the time I get up and start looting, you guys come in and I obviously interrupted a very private moment. I'm awfully sorry for that, Mr. and Mrs. . . .?"

"We aren't married," Mulder explained. He didn't add that he was sorry the man had interrupted things too. "Listen man, a life of crime never gets you anywhere. Well, it does, but you seem like too nice a guy to land yourself in prison for fifteen to twenty years. Why don't we make a pot of coffee and all sit down and talk about this like rational adults. Maybe we," he held up their cuffed hands, "can help you out in a way that is . . .well . . .legal."

Scully noted that the intruder's nervousness seemed to subside as embarrassment and shock took over. She and Mulder moved toward the kitchen but the man stopped them. "Wait, I-I-I need for y-y-you t-t-two to do s-s-something f-f-for me."

"I've cuffed us together, I haven't called the police to come and arrest you, we haven't arrested you. What more do you want man?"

"Ch-ch-chain yourselves to-to-together at the w-w-waist. H-h-here." The still unidentified man held out a chain with one hand, while he kept his gun trained on the two agents with the other.

"No way. Listen, you are under arrest, you have the right to remain silent anything you say can and will be held against you."

The man pulled the trigger of the small handgun and Scully gasped. "Oh man, I did it again. The safety is still on. I-I-I'm sorry this isn't going any better. P-p-please just p-p-put the ch-ch-chain on."

Scully leaned in to Mulder and whispered, "just do it. This man is obviously unstable and we've already lucked out once with the safety on that gun."

"I just arrested him, Scully." Mulder countered.

"Yeah, meanwhile we are the ones cuffed together. Neither of us have shown him any ID to prove we are federal agents, and he's got the gun. I think the best thing to do is get to a phone and call the local police to pick him up."

"Oh, y-y-you can't d-d-do that, miss. I did remember to cut the phone line when I got here."

"Give me a break already!" Mulder looked up, "what have I ever done to deserve this?"

"Sir," Scully tried, "is there a name we can call you while you're here? I mean I hate to keep calling you 'sir' and 'hey you', it seems disrespectful somehow."

"I've always liked the name James." He replied. "James Flanagan."

"James Flanagan, I'm special agent Mulder, and this is my partner agent Scully. How about just agreeing that we stay cuffed together at the wrist? I mean a waist chain seems to be over doing things just a bit."

"No, no, I would feel more comfortable with the chain on. It would make me less nervous."

"Just do it, Mulder, I want to live to see tomorrow."

"All right, okay, fine." He wrapped the chains around their waists twice, "happy?"

"Yes, agent Mulder, thank you." James Flanagan reached out and put a padlock on the chain to secure it in place. "No coffee, please, it makes me jumpy. If you two would just walk ahead of me and go into the first bedroom you come to."

The first room they came to was Mulder's old room. Their fumbling captor instructed them to take a seat on the bed while he looked around the room. Mulder leaned into Scully and very dryly said, "believe it or not, this is the most action this room has ever seen."

She tried to sound surprised, "no! You're kidding?"

"Outside of Mom and Samantha, you are the only girl . . .woman to ever be in this room. And mom and Samantha don't really count because they are family and you are my future."

"Even in the face of danger, you can be sweet." Scully squeezed his hand and smiled. "Look at it this way, we get to tell everyone we had an exciting vacation."

"This isn't the kind of excitement I was hoping for," Mulder grouched.

"I know, me either, some other time though. I promise."

"Are we talking about the same kind of excitement, Scully?"

She gave him a telling grin and his eyes went wide with amusement. "I think that this might be a good thing."

"You do?" He asked more than a little confused.

"Yeah, I do. Mulder, I want this to work and for us to work, we need to take things slow; not rush into anything."

Mulder smiled and kissed the top of her head. "This may come as a shock to you, but I think you are absolutely right."

"Oh you do, huh?"

"Yes, I do. I also think that this gives a whole new meaning to being joined at the hip." Scully laughed and wrapped her free arm around him as best she could.

"Excuse me again, folks, but I need you to come with me."

Scully arched an eyebrow, "what for?"

"W-w-well, i-i-it's silly actually, b-b-but I'm a-a-afraid of the d-d-dark and w-w-wanted someone to w-w-watch me walk to m-m-my c-c-car."

"Oh brother," Scully replied, "you have got to be joking."

"I-i-if you come with me, I'll l-l-leave your cell phones so you can call for help when I'm gone."

"Mr. Flanagan, you've got yourself a deal," Mulder answered for both of them. "I would go myself, but we are sort of a package deal, Scully."

"Oh, I nearly forgot, I f-f-flushed the keys to those cuffs." James Flanagan said as moved toward his car.

"Why am I not surprised?" Scully mumbled only loud enough for Mulder to hear.

"I-I-I want to th-th-thank you both for being such cooperative victims. While I didn't get as much as I hoped for, the couple of hundred dollars I did f-f-find will help gr-gr-greatly. Enjoy th-th-the rest of your v-v-vacation."

"Oh, we will." Mulder replied sarcastically. "Day one has gone better than we could have ever planned, and it's all up hill from here."

"Y-y-your cell phones are on the c-c-coffee table in the living room. G-g-good night f-f-folks." James Flanagan ducked into his car and tried to speed away. He rolled down his window, "f-f-forgot to p-p-put it in gear. Sorry about the t-t-tire m-m-marks."

Mulder shook his head, "Scully, we were just robbed by Porky Pig. If this ever gets out we will be the butt of every joke at the office."

She didn't have the heart to tell him they were already the butt of almost every joke at the office. "Let's get inside and call the police before it starts to . . ." As if on cue, rain started pouring and they were both soaked within seconds. ". . .Rain," she finished.

They turned around and Mulder tried to open the door. "It's locked, or stuck." He patted his pants pockets, "and my keys are on the floor in the living room. Could this day get any better?"

"I don't think I want to find out. Is there a spare key somewhere?"

"Yeah, around front."

"Perfect. Well, lets go before we catch our deaths out here."

Mulder nodded and they slowly and awkwardly began making their way around the house and to the front porch to find the spare key. They searched for and finally found the key and entered the house. The agents called the local police and gave detailed descriptions of the intruder and his car, the license plate number, and the suspected name of the man. With only a sheriff's deputy on duty, Mulder and Scully agreed to go into the station to give full reports before leaving Chepachet.

A couple of hours later, Mulder and Scully were still chained together at the wrist and the waist. They were each trying to catch up on their reading when Mulder broke the silence. "Hey Scully?"

"Hmmm?" She responded, hoping to finish the paragraph she was reading before giving him her full attention.

"I don't guess you have thought of a way that we will be able to go to the restroom have you?"

"Afraid not. In most cases, it won't be too hard for you, but with me it's a different story. Are you trying to tell me you need to go?"

"Well, yeah, but I'd rather go alone."

"Believe me, I would rather you go alone, but as you said earlier, we are a package deal. Unless you can pick this damn padlock." Scully grasped the lock and gave it a tug, pulling the key loose from it's taped position on the back.

"You never told me you were a magician."

"It's easy to make things appear when they are taped to the back of something." Scully picked up the key and quickly undid the lock. "Too bad it won't work on these," she lifted their joined wrists. "I could always call mom and have her bring my keys from the apartment."

"Too bad they aren't in your purse."

"Yeah, well, I have never had the need for handcuffs or the keys on vacation before. It's probably a good thing they weren't here anyway. If it weren't so embarrassing, we could call a locksmith, not that he could unlock these things either. Why can't we have the cheap handcuffs?"

"I wonder what your mom would say if you called and told her we are cuffed together."

"Who knows, with any luck she wouldn't say anything but, 'I'll be there as soon as I can, Dana'. With the luck I've been having this evening, she would cheer and refuse to intrude on a romantic getaway." She paused and watched Mulder laugh a hearty laugh. "It isn't funny. This is serious. We are sitting in rain soaked clothing cuffed together at the wrist. These stupid things are pick proof. Why would you bring handcuffs on vacation anyway?"

"Hey, this isn't my fault you know."

Scully sighed heavily. "I know and I didn't mean for it to sound that way. I'm just cold and tired."

"I'll make you some nice hot tea, but first things first."

"Hi Mom, it's Dana."

_"Dana, honey, how are you?"_

"I'm fine, Mom. I need you to do me a favor."

_"Sure, honey, what is it?"_

"Can you drive to my apartment and get my handcuff keys out of the center desk drawer in the living room?"

_"Yes, where are you now?"_

Scully took a deep breath before she began to explain. "Mulder and I are at his summer house in Rhode Island. Chepachet, Rhode Island to be exact. We are the second house from the end."

_"You are with Fox?"_

"Yes."

_"The two of you are cuffed together?"_

Scully braced herself, "yes."

_"How on earth? No, nevermind, that is your business."_

"Mom! We were robbed. Mulder took me out to dinner and when we came back there was this lunatic waiting in the shadows trying to rob the house."

_"I see, and you couldn't arrest him?_"

"Not cuffed together we couldn't. He was armed and we . . .well, weren't. Mulder put him under arrest but he sort of had the upper hand and . . .Mom, it's a really long story and as much as Mulder and I love each other, this is not how we planned to spend our vacation." The word love slipped out but Scully didn't bother to try and cover it up. They had intended to tell her mother in a couple of days anyway.

_"Love each other, huh? Well, I'm glad you finally admitted it. I was beginning to think you never would. And why on earth can't you call him Fox?"  
_

"Mom?"

_"I'll be there as soon as I can, Dana."_


	3. Flu and Freedom

**The Next Morning**

"Morning sleepyhead," Mulder greeted as Scully began to stir in the bed next to him.

"Time?" She moaned as she tried to stretch.

"Five-thirty," he informed. "Your mom called and said she will be here within the hour."

"Mulder, are you getting sick?"

"No," he lied. His own body betrayed him as he sneezed and yanked Scully up out of bed when he threw his hands up to cover his face.

"Ouch! And you are so getting sick."

"Probably just a cold from the rain." Mulder started to move out of bed with Scully who was a woman on a mission. "Ohh, Scully, don't move so quickly. Muscles hurt that I didn't even know I had."

"The flu, and I have to pee."

"The flu?"

"Yeah, you're getting the flu. Uh, can you turn around?"

"I never get the flu, Scully."

"I could be wrong but usually when a person is stuck out in the rain and can't change clothes, they get sick. I might even get sick, too. Look on the bright side, at least it isn't pneumonia." She moved to the sink and washed her hands, then reached for her toothbrush.

"At least I'll have a pretty doctor to take care of me."

"Mmm hmmm," she mumbled.

"And the flu never lasts that long."

"Hmmm mmm."

"So I should be better in time for the wedding."

"Mmm," she stopped mid brush and spit out the mouthful of toothpaste foam, "in plenty of time for the wedding. Since you haven't even proposed yet, I say you'll have time to get the flu a good seventy-five or eighty times."

"No thanks," Mulder grumbled as he reached for his own brush with his free hand. "The picture of perfect health, Scully. One night, not even a whole night, just a couple of hours with James "Porky Pig" Flanagan, if that's his real name, which I bet money it is, and he destroys my immune system. If I get my hands on that guy . . ."

"You'll have to wait in line. He ruined a new dress and my favorite pair of pumps."

"Yeah, immune system versus sexy dress and shoes. You're right, you win." Mulder began brushing his teeth with their joined hands.

"Hey, brush with your other hand."

"I can't, I'm a rightie," he mumbled around the brush.

Scully looked back toward the shower as Mulder continued to brush his teeth with his right hand. "I would love a nice hot shower or soak in a hot bubble bath." With his free hand, Mulder unzipped the back of her dress. "Hey, what's the big idea."

He spit into the sink, "helping you get undressed for that shower. Maybe the cuffs will rust off."

"Yeah, I don't think so, Mulder. Nice try though."

"Mom would have the wedding planner on the phone before we could towel off." He mused.

"She sure would. Catching us in the shower together would be as good as an engagement ring for her. At least a giant step in that direction."

"She wants that for you, doesn't she? Marriage and a family I mean?"

"Yeah, she wants that for both of us. Mom wants everyone to be happy and she knows . . .or she thinks she knows, that we would make each other happy."

"We do make each other happy, Dana." Mulder said as he zipped up her dress and patted her on the behind. "That hand has a mind of it's own," he added with a grin.

"Yes, we do make one another happy. Did you call my mom, Mom?"

"I wondered when you would catch that. She asked me to, actually."

"Oh, most of all, she wants what I want for myself."

"And what do you want?"

"A future with you," she answered honestly.

"That can be arranged."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, we both want the same thing." A knock on the door drew their attention away from each other. "The mother of the eventual bride-to-be I presume."

They walked to the front door and let Mrs. Scully in. "Hi Mom," they chorused.

She responded with a hearty laugh and an ear-to-ear grin. "Good morning. Here's the key you asked for. Did you sleep okay?"

"Yeah," Mulder replied.

"Oh goodness, you're coming down with the flu, Fox."

"That's what I told him. There," Scully announced as she unlocked the cuff from Mulder's wrist first, and then her own.

"Why don't you take a nice hot bath and get straight into bed? I'll fix breakfast and a nice pot of tea. Dana, you're getting sick too, I can see it in your eyes."

"Mom," Scully chided, "I'm fine."

"You're always fine, but you're getting sick. I think you should get into bed too, Dana. A hot bath would do you both wonders."

Scully waited for Mulder to make some comment or grab her hand and dash off to the restroom they had recently vacated. When he didn't, she mentally released a sigh of relief. "As soon as Mulder is finished, I will take a hot shower. Right now, I will fix breakfast and you sit down."

**That Evening**

"I think I would have to get better to die," Scully stated bluntly as she tried to roll over in bed.

"It's the flu," Mulder mimicked her earlier comment.

"I think we should both just strangle Flanagan. Better yet, we can find him now and cough on him." An almost evil grin crossed Scully's lips and she groaned. "Even that hurt."

"I'm sorry I made you sick, Scully."

"You didn't. It was just the rain and that whole ordeal last night." A series of half a dozen half sneezes, as Mulder had dubbed them early that afternoon, followed her comments and preceded her groan as she held her stomach.

"Fox! Dana! I'm back from the store." Mrs. Scully called as she walked past the hallway to the bedrooms and into the kitchen. She walked into the bedroom and checked their temperatures. "Still a little fever on both of you. I brought your juice and the ingredients for homemade chicken noodle soup. That will go a long way in helping you feel better. I'll be back in a few minutes with some aspirin and juice."

As soon as Mulder felt Mrs. Scully was out of earshot, he slowly turned to Scully. "Dana?"

"Yeah?"

Mulder gave her his best lopsided grin and started to sing a pitiful rendition of "Fever". "You give me fever when you kiss me, fever when you hold me tight, fever in the mornin', fever all through the night. You and I have got the fever, that is something we both know, fever isn't such a new thing, fever started long ago. Sun lights up the daytime, moon lights up the night, I light up when you call my name, and you know I'm gonna treat you right."

"Don't take this the wrong way, Mulder, but I think you're delirious. Or maybe I'm delirious." Scully paused to cough, "but that was a very sweet gesture, thank you."

**Three Days Later**

Mulder zipped up the last suitcase and took it out to the living room. "Looks like we're all ready to go."

"Yeah. I'm sorry you didn't get to go through as many things as you had hoped."

"It's okay, really. We got to spend some quality time together outside the office, I got to spend a good deal of time with your mother, we got to meet one James Flanagan who has since disappeared off the face of the earth, and now I get to take you home."

"No, you get to take me to Mom's."

"Less than a week with me and you are already going home to your mother. Am I really that bad?" He teased with a boyish grin.

Just as Scully was about to answer, someone started pounding on the front door. "Are you expecting company?"

"No. I'll get it." Mulder walked over to the door and peeked through the window. "Speak of the devil, Scully."

"You're kidding!"

"N-n-no m-m-ma'am." He unlocked the door and swung it open. "Well, if it isn't our friend Mr. Flanagan. What brings you by?"

"I-I-I b-b-brought y-y-y-y-your things b-b-b-b-back. I f-f-f-f-f-f-felt so guilty th-th-th-that I had to re-re-re-return them." Flanagan held out a pillowcase with everything he had taken from Mulder's house four days earlier. "I'm v-v-v-v-v-very s-s-s-orry."

"You do realize that you are still under arrest?" Scully asked from across the room.

"Y-y-y-y-yes, an-an-an-an-and I wish you w-w-w-would just get it over with."

Mulder felt sorry for the man as Scully approached him with the pair of handcuffs they had been chained together with days earlier. He wasn't sure if she had planned to beat him with the irons or restrain him, but either way he took pity on what seemed to be a good man down on his luck.

Scully read the man his rights, again, as she fastened the cuffs around his wrists and led him to the sofa. "Mulder, can I talk to you in private?"

"I was just about to ask you the same thing."

The couple stepped into the kitchen and spoke in soft tones, barely above a whisper. "Mulder, I feel sorry for him. I know I shouldn't, but I do."

"Amazing, that's what I was going to say. Why don't we take him to the sheriff's office and put in a good word for him? There wasn't any real harm done to either of us and he did return every single dime he took. Maybe they will let him off with a light sentence."

Scully nodded. "All this time away from the X-files is making us soft, Mulder."

"Yeah," he sighed, "I know. We need one really tough case when we get back before we are two lost causes." He put his hand on the small of Scully's back and led her into the living room. "Mr. Flanagan, we are going to take you in to the sheriff's office. Your punishment will be up to them."

"Th-th-thank you. I-I-I don't know what came over me, but I th-th-think I d-d-deserve the harshest sentence possible."

"Now I wouldn't go that far, sir." Scully commented as she grabbed the smallest bag in the pile and headed toward their car.

Mulder patted Flanagan on the shoulder. "Be thankful she forgot about the new dress and shoes she was wearing the other night."

"E-e-e-excuse m-m-me?"

"When you had us walk you to your car, her clothes were ruined by the storm we were caught in. By the time we got around the house and inside, she was out for your blood."

"Oh my!" James Flanagan commented as he turned a bright shade of pink.

"Just don't remind her and you might live to see the inside of a jail cell."

"My mouth is shut, sir."

Mulder nodded and escorted their prisoner to the car and put him in the backseat. "I'm going to grab the other two bags."

"Okay." Scully commented as she leaned against the passenger door.

By that evening, Mulder and Scully were just a few blocks away from Mrs. Scully's house. Mulder parked in front of a flower shop and shut off the car engine. "Where are you going?"

"To pick up some flowers for Mom. You wanna come with me?"

"Nah, I'll stay here. You won't be that long."

"Okay."

Several minutes later, Mulder emerged with an armful of flowers. "What on earth?"

"You'll find out soon enough."

"Mom!" Dana Scully called as they stepped through the front door.

"Dana, Fox?" Mrs. Scully called in response as she came out of the kitchen. She hugged Scully first and then moved to Mulder. When she opened her arms to him, he handed her a rather large bouquet of flowers, "oh my. For me?"

He smiled and nodded in response, "for driving all the way up there and staying through our bout with the flu."

"I was glad to do it. But these are lovely." She hugged Mulder tightly and excused herself to put the flowers in water.

Mulder stepped up behind Scully and wrapped his arms around her. "And this bunch is for you, just because."

"Just because?"

"Just because I can, and just because you are wonderful."

Scully turned to face Mulder, wrapping her arms around his neck and stretching up to meet his lips. She teased him by peppering his lips with kisses, and ending with one long and loving kiss. "I think you're wonderful, too, Fox."

He smiled at the use of his given name and bent down to kiss her again. Mrs. Scully was watching from the doorway of the kitchen and smiling to herself. Her daughter was happier than she had seen her in a long time, and with the man that was meant for her. That evening she had the joy if witnessing true love in it's purest form and prayed that it would last forever.

The End

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who has taken the time to read and comment on this story. Hope this end chapter is satisfactory. :)**


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